Once Upon A Time A Collection of Unexpected Fairytales

As part of National Flash Fiction Day on 16th May, 2012, Susi Holliday and Anna Meade ran a wonderful competition, a 350 word flash fiction with the theme of Unexpected Fairytales. I happened upon the competition on Anna's blog Yearning for Wonderland and thought I'd give it a go. Then Susi announced she was so impressed with the entries that she was going to publish an anthology of them. There was much excited discussion amongst the entrants who then waited patiently whilst Susi battled with the nitty gritty of the publication process. Her woes and ultimate triumph are shared by her here Worth the Wait?

Anyway it certainly was worth the wait as last week the antholgy finally appeared on Amazon.co.uk

All proceeds are going to the National Literacy Trust in the UK. Here is an extract from Susi's blog about literacy and the work of the Trust.

One in six people in the UK struggle with their literacy (that means that their skills are below that expected of the average 11 year old)

One in three children in the UK don’t own a book of their own

42% of UK firms are dissatisfied with school leavers use of English.

12% of employers provided remedial literacy training for graduates.

22% of men and 30% of women with literacy below entry level 2 live in nonworking households.

Men who improve their literacy rates see their likelihood of being on state benefits reduced from 19% to 6%.

Men and women with the poorest literacy or numeracy skills were the least likely to have voted in the 1987 and 1997 general elections.

Individuals with low literacy levels are more likely to live in overcrowded housing with reduced access to technology.

A literate family is less likely to experience divorce, as divorce rates amongst those with high literacy are low, and significantly lower than those with poor literacy.

The trust do a hell of a lot to help with these issues, for both children and adults – you can read more about the projects here. But like all great charities, they rely on donations to help them achieve their goals.

Did you know that:

• £7 could give a child a free book and motivate them to read through an inspiriational event.
• £10 could support a reading session for three families, helping them gain the skills they need to support their children’s literacy.
• £20 could allow two disadvantaged teenagers to improve their communication skills in preparation for working life.

So if you would like to read this intriguing antholgy then click below and purchase a copy for the unbelievable price of just £3.10. Find me right at the end of the book on p.95. Remember you are never too old for Fairytales, especially of the Unexpected!